Re: The Bigger, Badder, Even More Serious Thread [4]

[David H]

I mostly try to avoid personal grudges. They can get complicated in a community where everybody is your 2nd cousin and carries a gun.  

Now certain corporations on the other hand, those are some  grudges I'll nurture for the rest of my life!  

[Mrs Figg]

so getting into bed with Assad? The Irony.

Alliance with a murdering dictator because theres worse out there. Sometimes I get nostalgic for murderous dictators. At least they kept religion out of it.

[Pettytyrant101]

I am starting to think that in fact the weapon manufacturers run the world, and that explains why we just keep changing sides so that by the end we will in fact have tooled up and armed everyone on all sides by 'helping' them to help us.

[Pettytyrant101]

Emma Watsons speech to the UN on feminism- good speech I thought, heartfelt, even though she is clearly terrified, as you would be outside your normal comfort zone-



I really would not be surprised to see Miss Watson go into politics at a later time in her career.

[Pettytyrant101]

In the 'you couldnt make it up' end of the news spectrum we have this- the UKIP calypso-a song in a faux Jamaican accent sung by an aging white British DJ for UKIP and which they are hoping will top the charts. Mind boggling, not sure why he didnt just go the whole hog and black face

[azriel]

Oh nadgers It wont play

[Pettytyrant101]

Try this one Azriel-

[azriel]

Oh gawd ! you gotta laugh ! How cheesy ! cheesy words, cheesy tune, the guy sounded like a headmaster from an infant school, it was awful. Its going to their heads this climb to Parliment ? They actually believe in themselves............ so did Hitler

[Pettytyrant101]

Its that last bit that worries me. He too came to power on the back of a popular ground swelling and punishing austerity and blaming the 'other' for all their woes.

[Pettytyrant101]

Remember the fuss over the head of the enquiry appointed to investigate historic child abuse carried out by the upper classes and MP's?
Baroness Butler-Sloss was her name and they had to get rid of her when it turned out she had links to Lord Brittan who was Home Secretary when the abuse took place and to whom the police gave the evidence, which then mysteriously disappeared.

Well the woman they appointed ro replace the Baroness, Mrs Woolf, turns out she was his friend too. Honestly you couldnt make this up.

'Lawyer Fiona Woolf disclosed on Tuesday that she had dined with Lord Brittan and his family five times since 2008.
she revealed that she lived in the same London street as the Conservative peer and had invited him and his wife to dinner on three occasions.
Mrs Woolf, a former Lord Mayor of London, also revealed she had two dinners at the Brittans' house between 2008 and 2012.
She also disclosed that she sat on the advisory body of CityUK, of which Lord Brittan has also been a member, and had had a coffee with Lady Brittan on a "small number of occasions". - BBC


She insists they were just one of hundreds of people she knows. Well I know quite a few people but I dont generally invite them all round for dinner and go to dinner at there house. Thats more than just someone you know.
Or are they seriously saying that there is no one in the country qualified to carry out this enquiry who is not connected in someway to important people involved in some fashion with the scandal?
She also claims she is not part of the establishment. She is the fucking Lord Mayor of London, of course she is part of the establishment.

Given how sensitive the issue, given that this is the establishment itself under scrutiny how can they keep appointing people like this and think it doesn't look deeply suspicious?

[Amarië]

Emma Watsons speech to the UN on feminism- good speech I thought, heartfelt, even though she is clearly terrified, as you would be outside your normal comfort zone-



I really would not be surprised to see Miss Watson go into politics at a later time in her career.

I skipped the calypso and hoped to build up my faith in the human race instead, so I watched this. I haven't gotten around to before now. Got tears in my eyes, what a woman.

[Pettytyrant101]

It's a good speech. I thought she addressed some of the main issues round feminism, and interestingly, also male masculinity and its pressures.
I dont think Ive heard a prominent feminist address this issue as part of the wider picture.

[azriel]

In response to Petty's claim, ( baroness Scloss) I personally think the "powers that be" know exactly what they are doing & are deliberately stalling while they all get their heads together over this. There is nothing like an "old boys club".They stick together like glue. this is becoming more & more like a farce. It smacks of deliberate diversion. How can you except an important position & then say.. "oops, ha ha, silly me, I forgot, I did have tea with "Mr smith", I think we had lunch up at the manor to ?, Oh well, no harm done". Thats now another X amount of months while they mess about finding someone else. The justice in this country often seems so unfair !

[Pettytyrant101]

Not just unfair sadly, corrupt when it concerns the ruling class and the upper classes.
And in this case that corruption is protecting the abusers of potentially hundreds of vulnerable children over decades.


"How can you except an important position & then say.. "oops, ha ha, silly me, I forgot, I did have tea with "Mr smith", I think we had lunch up at the manor to ?, Oh well, no harm done". - Azriel


Especially when that was exactly the reason the person you are replacing just stepped down. It really does beggar belief.

[Amarië]

It's a good speech. I thought she addressed some of the main issues round feminism, and interestingly, also male masculinity and its pressures.
I dont think Ive heard a prominent feminist address this issue as part of the wider picture.

Really? I find that very strange. I find it odd to claim you advocate equal rights for men and women if you say that "some are more equal than others".

[Pettytyrant101]

I find it odd to claim you advocate equal rights for men and women if you say that "some are more equal than others". - Amarie

Is that a general 'you' or addressed directly at me. If the latter I dont think I understand. Where did I say or imply some are more equal than others?

[azriel]

 I totally agree with your statement Petty, this country has a silent, devious corruption that seeps & oozes its way throughout history. Its addictive corrosive compulsion eats up & contaminates to such a high degree that you could almost go mad on it. I dont, & never have or will, trust the legal system we have. Im a cynic & always will be. My feet are on the ground & ive seen things go on & none of it fills me with positivity.

[Bluebottle]

I always liked that quote by Henrik Ibsen (a famous norwegian writer), when he was asked at a suffragette meeting he attended, "Are you a supporter of womens rights?" (Kvinneforkjemper.) To which he answered "I'm a supporter of human rights." (Menneskeforkjemper.)

Now contemplate that for a moment. Being a supporter of Human Rights and equality in the treatment of all human beings basically means you're a supporter Womens Right when women are treated differently, but your general focus is the person and not their gender.

That always ressonated with me, anyway.

[Amarië]

I find it odd to claim you advocate equal rights for men and women if you say that "some are more equal than others". - Amarie

Is that a general 'you' or addressed directly at me. If the latter I dont think I understand. Where did I say or imply some are more equal than others?

A general you aimed at the feminists you spoke of.

[Pettytyrant101]

Ah thanks for clarifying that Amarie.

It was odd. It was what stuck me most of all about the speech was that I had never heard a speech on the subject of womens rights attaching the strong male role models imposed on the other half of humanity as being just as big a problem.
In particular when she refers to the changes she noted in her male friends as they felt more and more compelled to act the male role society demanded of them, and in so doing becoming less true to who they really are.
And I think she is right, until men and therefore male society, which is the dominate one, recognises and addresses that issue we will probably never have the understanding to address the entire problem of making all humans equal firstly as humans, and not gender. As Blue suggests above.


(However as a male I also have to confess to thinking 'Blimey she is rather hot looking now, even in a suit.' Am I still going to chauvinist hell then?)

[Amarië]

(I'm not entirely sure, you admired her bravery and actually listened to her as well. I was thinking roughly the same thing - and coveting her coat and the ability to fit in it - so I'm not quite sure where that puts me either. )

[Bluebottle]

(That's the problem, isn't it. You tell yourself you believe what Ibsen said about gender equality being about treating people equally ireespective of gender, and then you meet a cute girl and act like a complete idiot.  

So I try to tell myself that I at least have ideals, I would like to treat everyone the same irrespective of gender, even if I can't live up too them..)

[Mrs Figg]

whats with Canada?

[Eldorion]

I was reading a bit about the shooting in Ottawa. I can't imagine being there for something like that.

[chris63]